From the viewing deck, perched on a knife-edged outcrop, you can take in a full frontal view of 410-foot Feather Falls. The sound of pounding water reverberates off the high walls and thunders down the canyon. It's so perfect that it can seem surreal.

But the side trip to the brink of the waterfall snaps you back into the moment. From a boulder near the rim, watch a churning fountain of white water surge past through a rocky gorge, pound down a chute and then pour over the top. The air tastes clean and sparkles as mist from the falls rises.

You could search across America and pay thousands of dollars in travel costs but still not take in more ecstatic moments than one experiences at Feather Falls.

Yet it's located in the Sierra foothills east of Oroville, within range of a long day trip for many people in the Bay Area, Sacramento, Tahoe and Redding. Plus, unlike the Yosemite Valley, it's all free - access, parking and a small campground.

Feather Falls is one of the most spectacular waterfalls around, and has the best viewing deck, bar none. I posted a 25-picture photo gallery and two-minute video of my trip at www.sfgate.com/outdoors.

What it takes to see Feather Falls - that is, to the viewing deck, the brink and back - is a 10-mile hike. It's not steep or hard, just long.

If you need to get in shape, the anticipation of getting this pay-off provides all the incentive you need.

For many years, Feather Falls was reported as 640 feet, according to an information sheet published by the U.S. Forest Service. But several waterfall hunters, including Bryan Swan, Dean Goss and Leon Turnbull, measured it using a laser range finder and clinometer and verified it at 410 feet.

Regardless, it is the kind of place that can get inside your mind and realign your senses.

When you first arrive at the trailhead, you can be shocked by how few - or how many - people are here. On my visit last week, there were only a few cars in the parking lot, and I had the place to myself for most of the trip. But on a Saturday in early May, every spot can be taken and people will park on the side of the entrance road.

The walking is easy and rhythmic. You start by sailing down a hill to a fork in the trail. But the left fork, part of a loop route that's a mile shorter, is closed (a tree fell on the bridge at lower Frey Creek). It's a shame because this fork features Indian grinding mortars and sometimes in winter millions of migratory ladybugs at the creek.

So turn right instead. It's a total of 4.5 miles to the viewing deck. Within a mile you cross a bridge at Frey Creek Falls, a pretty cascade, and then make a gentle climb to the rim of the canyon. Across the canyon, Bald Rock Dome emerges into view. It towers above like a monolith out of Yosemite.

At a signed cutoff, turn left and look below for a catwalk to the viewing deck.

You hear the thundering crash of water before you see it, and at first, all you get are glimpses of silver off to your right.

Then, from the platform, you get a full view of Feather Falls, top to bottom. Gaze across the canyon and watch the river gush to the brink through a rocky chute, then sail over the edge into a white plume, feathered at the edges.

From the deck, it's a half-mile hike to the brink. This is a must-do side trip.

Along the stream that feeds the waterfall, you'll find several short, unsigned cutoffs to view spots. The river pours clear and swirls through a series of pools, then churns and boils into a set of plunge pools.

On a promontory rock that overlooks the brink, the Forest Service erected a high cyclone fence to keep people from falling. (I shot photos and video by raising cameras over the top of the high fence and taking my best guess at where to point instead of putting myself in a dangerous position)

It's easy to spend a lot of time out here, poking around, looking for new vantage points, or just sitting a bit to watch the rushing water.

What you'll find is Feather Falls refreshes in the moment. Then days later, when you gaze at your photos, you'll find that they are like windows.

Instead of simply enjoying the images, you will look through your windows, and gaze into them, reliving your day, the sound of thundering water and the scent of fresh sweetness at the brink.

And you will never forget how it all made you feel.

If you go

Cost: Parking, access, camping, free.

Facilities: Restroom with chemical toilets, bear-proof garbage cans, small campground for tents or self-contained RVs up to 16 feet, five sites with fire rings/grills.

Directions

How to get to Oroville: From San Francisco, take Interstate 80 east for 81 miles to the greater Sacramento area and take the exit on the right which is signed for I-80 East/Reno. Continue on I-80 east for 4.4 miles and take Exit 86 onto I-5 North. Drive 3 miles on I-5 North and exit at Highway 99 North. Drive 12.5 miles on Highway 99 to Highway 70/Marysville-Oroville. Take that exit to Highway 70 and drive 47 miles to Oroville and the exit for Oro Dam Blvd./Highway 162. Drive time: 2 1/2 hours.

How to get to Feather Falls Trailhead: Take Oro Dam Blvd./Olive Highway east for 1.7 miles to stoplight (signed for Olive Highway). Turn right (still Olive Highway) and drive 6.6 miles to Forbestown Road. Turn right and go 6.2 miles to Lumpkin Road. Turn left and drive 11.3 miles to a signed turn for Feather Falls. Turn left and drive 1.5 miles to parking, a trailhead and a campground.